( L - R ) Ricardo Chambers, Allodin Fothergill - File photos
Despite the success of the Usain Bolt-led 4x100-metres team in Beijing last year, Jamaica's best overall performances in men's relays at the IAAF World Championships have come in the 4x400 metres.
After getting silver in 1995, they continued the trend in the next four Championships with second- place finishes before getting bronze in 2005 to make it six top-three finishes in a row.
The Jamaican medal trend was halted two years ago in Osaka after a brilliant third leg by rookie Leford Green. The former Kingston College Boys Cham-pionships star put the team in medal contention but they failed to get a medal as Sanjay Ayre, after being in second position, was run down by the Bahamas and Poland and Jamaica finished a disappointing fourth.
Based on the performances of the country's 400m runners this season it will take a grand turnaround in form to finish among the medals once again.
Only Dwight Mullings has gone under 45 seconds (44.98) at the South Eastern Conference Meet (SEC) in Florida for his college team and he will not be part of the Jamaican team in Berlin as he missed the National Championships due to some problems with his travel documents.
Capturing national title
In his absence, Ricardo Chambers captured the national title event in a close finish over Allodin Fothergill in pedestrian times. Chambers, who was struggling all season and who has clocked sub-45 seconds in his career in the past, has been showing signs of improvement and recently clocked a season best of 45.31 seconds at the Rome Golden League.
Fothergill, with 45.44, is the next best while he is followed by Dane Hyatt (45.56), Lansford Spence (45.78) and Leford Green and Jermaine Gonzales, who both have season best times of 45.81.
It is unlikely that Jamaica will have any of its members in the final of the flat 400 metres and this could be a blessing in disguise for the team as this will allow the runners to focus on the relay in a bid to give the team a top-three finish.
While the United States are expected to romp this event, the other two spots for medals are wide open and, if the Jamaicans get their act together, they could surprise, as the likes of Bahamas, Poland and Great Britain are also not as strong as former years.
The Jamaicans are not expected to challenge the national record of 2:56.75 set by the foursome of Danny McFarlane, Michael McDonald, Gregory Haughton and Davian Clarke at the Athens Championships in 1997, but with a little luck could, do enough and lift their performances and fight out for one of the minor medals.
DID YOU KNOW?
Ottey
Merlene Ottey brought tears of joy to the eyes of many Jamaicans when, at age 33, she won the 200m gold medal at the 1993 IAAF World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. It was her first world outdoor gold. Ottey ran a perfect curve and came into the straight well ahead of the field. Twenty metres out, however, she completely lost her form and just held on from a fast-finishing Gwen Torrence of the United States. Ottey clocked 21.98 seconds and Torrence, 22.00.